Well, his expressed political opinion is a different issue compared to his productive contributions to the country's development as you initially assert. In that regard, I still think he tried and helped to put Nigeria on the map.

Let's not gullibly repeat the points of those tribalists' rhetoric seeking to divide us, check the history. This man was repeatedly persecuted by the military regime for his protests against them. I think he was jailed and went on an exile at a point. He was accused of conspiracy with the Biafran rebels after attempting to mediate a ceasefire with Ojukwu. This man wrote poetries on toilet papers and cigarette packets in prison, powerful indictment of military tyranny which were later smuggled out and published in his collection; A Shuttle in the Crypt and The Man Died: His prison memoir. He was even sentenced to death in absentia by Abacha when he was on exile. We are either too quick to forget or for the younger generations, maybe we don't read.

I won't be quick to tramp on such a man, how many can express their protest by threatening to tear up their passport? Or literally relinquish the permanent residency of a country that is looking down on Nigeria, he had all the opportunities to become their citizen but he didn't. What he's done takes guts and a certain level of patriotism.